


Last Night was a Full Moon

by inasiriusrelationship



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Marauders Friendship, Marauders' Era, Slow Burn, blackinnon, jily, very very slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-05-15 18:33:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5795395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inasiriusrelationship/pseuds/inasiriusrelationship
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This is bad, Pads. It's really, really bad…" - After a full moon night that didn't go entirely smoothly, the marauders find themselves in a bit of a pickle: Peter is nowhere to be found, James has been transferred to St. Mungo's, Remus is having a mental breakdown and Sirius... well, Sirius is just struggling to keep Lily Evans from going barmy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is already on fanfiction but I decided to make it availabe here as well. This first chapter is the prologue; the second one will start a month before this scene, and go on from there.  
> I hope you enjoy the story :)

“This is bad, Pads. It’s really, really bad…” Remus Lupin was pacing along the infirmary’s hall, looking restless and worn-out, while Sirius Black sat on the cold marmoreal floor, his head resting against the equally cold stone wall and his gaze looking upwards towards the ceiling, his expression not quite so worried anymore, but not quite relieved yet, either.

“Will you stop that, Moony? He’ll be fine!”

“How can you say that? He’s just been taken to St. Mungo’s because of me!” The boy practically screeched before taking notice of his surroundings and lowering his tone to a sorrow-filled whisper. “It’s my fault.”

His dark haired mate finally stood up, both hands on Remus shoulders before he could even blink. “Don’t say that, it’s not true! Things may have gotten a little out of hand, but they’ll turn out fine. You’ll see.”

The blonde’s eyes flickered down, but Sirius insisted.

“You can’t push us away, mate. That’s not how the Marauders work, so you should just quit it before I need to punch that face in to knock some sense into you.”

Remus still looked uncertain.

“Besides, I need you with me to face the worst part, which is yet to come.”

A furrowed brow from his blonde companion answered his statement, and he winced.

“Who gets to tell Evans?”

The other boy visibly paled.

“Oh, bloody hell.”


	2. Detention Hall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly a Jily story, but I'd like to include some Blackinnon... thoughts?

6 MONTHs EARLIER

Lily huffed, annoyed, as she looked down at the couple of first years she was supposed to look after for the next hour. "I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would try to pass notes in McGonagall's class? First years," she answered herself. "First years with a death wish, obviously."

"Right. You sit over there, separately, and you're supposed to work on Transfiguration…" She nodded when one of them, albeit a little condescendingly, waved his textbook in the air. "Yeah, that'll do it."

She waved them off and sat down on the teacher's desk, quickly warning them to be quiet; she was hoping to at least get some work done herself, especially since-

"Evans!"

The redhead groaned, ignoring the amused look on the first years' faces as she turned her head to the door, which a rather flushed James Potter was just trespassing. Her eyes scanned the Head Boy up and down: his hair was even messier than usual (something that in itself she would've considered a rather impossible accomplishment), his glasses slightly crooked and a rather pronounced blush covering his cheeks; his uniform seemed to be put on in a rush – his cloak was nowhere to be seen, his tie hanging rather loose around his neck and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, allowing her a perfect view of his quidditch toned arms and-

She mentally berated her hormonal teenage girl side, which, like every other in Hogwarts at one time or another, was fazed by all things James Potter related. He was a git, sure, but an extremely hot one, if she was honest with herself – which considering she was Lily Evans, was not very often.

Instead, the Head Girl turned back to her notes, attempting to look superior and unabashed by his presence as she spoke in a clipped tone. "You're late."

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled loudly, apparently frustrated with himself, before coming to a full stop in front of the desk, dropping his bag on the side opposite to hers "Yes, I… I know. I'm sorry."

She raised a brow, surprised that there was no smug comment about how he could bet ten galleons she'd missed him, but let it slide as he sat down beside her, cleaning his glasses with the end of his white shirt.

Directing a stern look at the pair of younger students who'd stopped their work to stare at them, Lily cleared her throat and settled back in her chair, twisting her hair up in a ponytail. It wasn't exactly like James didn't take his duties as Head Boy seriously; in fact, this was the first time she could recall him being late – much to her surprise, James Potter appeared to have matured, and it was certainly showing in their 7th year. Granted, it had only started a little over a month prior, but to her surprise she found herself giving him credit for it; he hadn't even tried to ask her out yet, although his flirty comebacks were still going strong.

She would never tell him this, but she was actually growing fond of their newly found playful banter routine. She wouldn't go as far as calling them friends, but they were, well, friendly with each other – which was really saying something considering that they now shared a dorm –, and she had started to rather enjoy his company instead of loathing it. Dang. Was she actually friends with James Potter? When the hell had that happened?

Sneaking a glance at the boy in question, apparently deeply concentrated in his schoolwork, she frowned. There was a gash on his cheek, starting right beneath his eye and running down to his jaw. It looked fresh, and she was fairly certain he didn't have it the night before when she'd bid him goodbye in their common room.

Unconsciously, Lily reached out with her finger and touched the cut lightly; his reaction was immediate: flinching away from her, his eyes widened as they looked at her for a fraction of a second before taking a small square mirror out of his pocked, eyeing the gash. Lily would've made a joke about how only someone as vain as him would carry a mirror in his pocket, but instead cringed when he himself placed a finger on the cut, running it along its length as he murmured something. To her surprise, the wound started healing. After one swipe, it turned pink; another one, into just a faint line; at the third swipe of his thumb it completely vanished.

Pocketing the mirror again he sighed and shook his head. "Bloody idiot." He then turned to Lily, who was eyeing him with a mix of surprise, awe and suspicion. He shot her a smile that seemed more like a grimace as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Must've cut myself shaving."

She narrowed her eyes at him as she moved closer, pointedly ignoring his sharp intake of breath as she did so, to eye his cheek a little closer. There was no sign of the cut. Looking back at the two students behind them and ignoring the way he smelled because good god, smelling this good should be illegal, she reached up and whispered in his ear. "I know you shave using your wand, Potter. And that was not a razor cut."

He snorted good-naturedly, but she could feel the tension in his voice as he retorted. "Stalker much, Evans?" When she didn't reply, he pulled back and rummaged through his papers, not looking at her as he added. "For your information, I was running late this morning and I couldn't find my wand. Padfoot let me use his magical razor. Should've known better than to trust that git."

His laugh didn't fully convince her, and she was about to press further into the matter when she recalled her earlier reflexion . She wasn't friends with Ja- Potter. She shouldn't care about what he'd been up to last night, or where he'd got that cut. She certainly shouldn't express her admiration for both his healing and his nonverbal spell abilities.

With another annoyed huff, Lily turned back to her own schoolwork.


	3. Realisations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovelies. I'm sorry this has taken me so long, but I am happy to notify you all that I am back on track ^.^
> 
> I have conducted some very extended research for this fic, and I am developing a very interesting theory/headcanon (about a minor character that will be featured in this), if I do say so myself – which I don't think I've ever seen before, and I can't wait to share it with you! In the right time, of course ;) *insert evil laugh here*
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter – it's a bit of a filler, but I really enjoyed writing it. It's also longer than my usual, so there's that.
> 
> Oh and once again, shout out to my awesome beta, sweetly-secret, who so kindly looked this over for me.
> 
> Enjoy, please ;)

"It was completely irresponsible! What if I'd gotten sick, huh? Who would've watched those kids then? McGonagall should be on his ass for this, I tell you."

Alice and Marlene traded a look as Lily obliviously continued her rant while serving herself a glass of pumpkin juice. "Lousy git! He was probably late because he took half an hour doing his hair, while I skipped breakfast entirely to be there ten minutes early." Her eyes lit up slightly and she brandished her fork, which she was going to use to fish a roasted potato out of the platter in front of her, excitedly. Riley quickly darted out of the way. "Oh, see, see, what if I really had come to breakfast and no one was there to fill the kids in? Bet you Mighty Potter didn't even consider that."

Finally stopping to regain her breath and take a sip of her juice, Lily caught sight of her friends' stares and sheepishly lowered her gaze back to her plate. "I was ranting again, wasn't I?" At Mary's nod, the redhead sighed and muttered an apology as she started piling her plate with food.

Alice smiled gently and rubbed her friend's lower back in support, wincing slightly as she turned to her right. "Guess we chose a bad day to come over for lunch." Riley smothered her laugh with her Ravenclaw scarf, a muffled "You think?" coming from under it.

Marlene simply rolled her eyes at her best friend's antiques as she took a swig of her own juice. "Honestly Lil, I thought you guys were getting along better." At Lily's snort, the other witch sighed. "Look, I know that James can be an annoying little-"

"Ah, Marls, I know you don't mean that."

Marlene whipped her head around, her dark hair flying, and smiled at the Head Boy. "Jamie, dear, you didn't even let me finish."

James snorted, much in the same way as his fellow Head Student just had. "Right. Because I can't possibly imagine something bad coming after the words 'annoying little'..."

"Prat? Idiot? Self-centered lunatic?" Remus Lupin added playfully as he plopped down next to Mary. James raised a finger, a mock hurt expression on his face, just as Sirius Black came up on his side, patting his shoulder. "Why are we discussing Prongs at lunch time? I'd rather keep my appetite, thank you very much." With that he dropped down next to Marlene, just as Peter Pettigrew, the last marauder, slid into the bench next to Lily, bearing an easy going grin as always in his slightly chubby face. "I agree with the lunatic's friend."

Lily only stared as all four marauders slid into their respective seats, wondering, once again, where her normality had gone. Since when did they have lunch together? Sure, Marlene and James were – in "some very complicated and ancient pureblood way", as explained by the girl – cousins, and were actually very close underneath all that banter, and she was herself friends with Remus, who was a rather lovely person AND a prefect, but that hardly explained why they were all suddenly having lunch together.

And by suddenly, she meant continuously happening since the beginning of the year. Lily frowned; this was her new normal. How had she not realized before?

Unknowingly snapping her out of her reverie, Potter chose that moment to ask her to pass the pumpkin juice. Politely. With no flirtatious remarks or ridiculous nicknames at all. Not even a wink.

Lily lost it. Getting up, she muttered an apology as she quickly ran out of the Great Hall, doing her best to ignore the pair of dark eyes she knew she'd meet dared she look at the Slytherin table -as usual, she didn't- and taking a sharp left turn into the corridor that housed the Head's quarters. She had a free afternoon, so she might as well get some work done - seventh year was no picnic. Between enormous piles of homework, NEWT level classes and her head duties, Lily was feeling more overworked than ever before. And they were in October! Merlin only knew how Potter was doing it, what with being Quidditch captain on top of it all.

And there she was again. Thinking about Potter, praising him... was this some sort of cosmic joke the universe had decided to set upon her? Lily strongly suspected so - what else would explain his suddenly constant presence in her head? Either that or he'd found a new piece of magic to forcefully introduce himself in there. Lily wouldn't completely rule that out either. As much as she would like to claim otherwise, James Potter was by no means lacking in magical talent, and neither were his friends.

Who were apparently also very nosy.

"Lily?"

The redhead sighed as she turned around to face the shortest of the Marauders. Peter was, at least, kind. Apart from Remus, who was without a doubt one of the best people she'd ever met (albeit a little flawed in friend choices), he was probably the one she liked best. Which didn't stop her from glaring at the blonde boy while spitting out "what?" Charming, she thought to herself.

Peter rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I, uh…"

Lily narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion, raking them up and down the boy as if she were accessing the best way to diffuse a bomb. "Did James put you up to this?

He looked completely taken aback, so she figured that was probably a no. Peter didn't strike her as that good an actor. "What? No, I just... wanted to check in on you. You ran off so quickly, I thought... I don't know."

Lily just stared. Was the whole world going nuts? Or maybe just Hogwarts - but this was definitely not normal. Peter freaking Pettigrew, a marauder, one of James Potter's best mates, had ditched lunch to check up on her. What the hell was going on?

Apparently she must have blurted out some of that out loud, because Peter chuckled somewhat awkwardly. "Well I wasn't really that hungry... Sirius and I had a Kitchen run late last night. I'd never had so many pastries in such a short time in my life." He then shrugged good naturedly. "Besides, that's just what friends do."

The redhead's brain had officially just short-circuited. Friends. Oh lord.

"Thank you, Peter", she got out in a clipped tone. "But I am just fine."

With that, she muttered the password to the young lady in a Victorian dress and a flower crown who leaped forward in her porch swing to allow her into the common room, leaving a baffled Peter Pettigrew frowning after her.

When the portrait swung open again hours later, it was to let in a laughing James Potter and a sour looking Marlene McKinnon. Lily raised her head from her enormous potions textbook long enough to observe this, then simply patted the spot on the couch next to her.

"What did he do now?"

Marlene huffed as she plopped down next to her best friend, glaring at James, who was holding his snickering form by hanging from the portrait's frame. "Shut it, Potter. It's not funny."

The raven-haired boy let out an amused snort. "Come on, Marls, it was kind of funny."

A new huff. Sensing she wouldn't be getting much more than that from her friend, Lily reluctantly turned to Potter, who sobered up some and draped himself over one of the armchairs by the soaring fireplace. His chocolate eyes suddenly seemed menacing.

"Pierce tried to hit on Marly here."

"He asked me out to Hogsmeade yesterday! In a perfectly romantic and gentleman-y way and– "

"He tried to kiss you! In front of me! What were you expecting?"

"He does have a point." Lily muttered. James was fiercely protective of Marlene. She'd had boyfriends before, but there was an unspoken agreement that nothing of the physically romantic sort should transpire in front of him. Anything out of his sight was "don't ask, don't tell", and every single one of them had abided by those rules – perhaps they valued their lives more than Anthony Pierce did. She still remembered when Charles Reed, who'd graduated a year prior, broke Marly's heart. James had beaten the older boy up, stripped him down to his briefs and put some kind of spell on him that took the teachers one hour to undo. (It had turned his skin a nauseating purple, hairy and full of blisters, while forcing him to dance like a maniac in the middle of the Great Hall at breakfast. James had sat in his place at the Gryffindor table, sipping his morning tea with a little smile on his face. Lily had kissed his cheek when no one was looking– it was the first time she could recall actually appreciating James Potter's existence. To her surprise, the event had only prompted a slight blush; he hadn't bragged about it, not even once.)

"Well as I recall it, you weren't the one that broke his nose!" Marlene shouted, bringing Lily back to the conversation (read: screaming match) taking place at the moment.

"Wait, what?" She tilted her head sideways to stare at Marlene again, but she had an unreadable expression on her face, sinking further onto the couch and crossing her arms over her chest. Lily turned to Ja– Potter again, who rubbed the back of his neck somewhat awkwardly.

"Yeah… Padfoot got to him first."

The Head Girl felt her mouth drop open. Sirius Black? Punching his fellow beater for trying to kiss Marlene? Lily didn't think he'd been in on any of James' threats and… the follow ups of said threats. Sirius was, after all, notoriously known for… well, not giving a crap. About anything.

Marlene huffed in her spot. "Lousy git, I don't know what made him think he had the right to punch Anthony like that."

James raised an eyebrow and cracked his knuckles menacingly. "If he hadn't, then I would've." The dark haired girl growled.

"That is so not the fucking point, Potter, god." With that she got up, storming off and out of the portrait hole.

James frowned after her before turning to Lily. "What the hell is the point then?"

The redhead shrugged noncommittally, grabbing her book again. Ja– Potter apparently didn't know how to take a hint, as he dropped down on Marlene's recently vacated spot.

"So, did you finish your Charms essay yet?" He asked, propping his feet up on the coffee table. Lily nodded curtly and he sighed, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with the hem of his shirt meticulously. Not that Lily was paying any attention to that. Or to the small strip of skin from his stomach that he had exposed with his actions. Nope. Not at all. All she saw was potions. Potions, potions, potions… whose ingredients were listed upside down. She turned her book over discreetly. Oops.

He turned those hazel eyes to her, keeping up his ministrations. "Look, Lily, I'm sorry I was late earlier. It was irresponsible and inconsiderate of me, and I hope you can forgive me." Lily was stunned into silence, and completely unprepared for how adorably hopeful he looked when he put his palms together and added with a smile "Please?"

Lily sucked in a breath as she racked her brain for what an appropriate reaction would be. Because smiling like an idiot certainly wasn't it. She cleared her throat. "Just don't let it happen again, Potter."

She promptly ignored the butterflies at his smirk. "Alright, Evans."

The redhead cleared her throat again as she watched him put his glasses back on. "So, about those rounds schedules…"

By the time they finished with their Heads' duties, it was nearing eleven in the evening. Yawning, Lily leaned back against the arm of the couch, stretching her arms above her head and closing her eyes momentarily. "God, I'm tired." She drew out the words, running her hands over her face and sighing.

James nodded with a yawn of his own as he set their new rounds schedule down on the coffee table, got up and ran a hand through his hair. He turned towards their little kitchen area. "You want some coffee?"

Lily shook her head, snuggling further into the couch. "Nah, then I'll never get to sleep and trust me, I need to get me some of that."

James smiled at that, sitting back down with his own steaming mug. "I still can't believe you got me addicted to this crap, Evans." She snorted and he shook his head. "Anyways, I still need to work on some of the Quidditch moves I want to run tomorrow at practice, so I don't think that'll be in my schedule any time soon."

The Head Girl frowned, sitting up as she stared at all the new pieces of parchment that now covered the coffee table, accompanied by the look of intense concentration in James' face. She couldn't help but notice the exhaustion mixed in there too. She tucked her feet under her legs and leaned forward to glimpse at all of his text surrounded diagrams and schemes. "Well, maybe it'll help to brainstorm a little."

James sighed, pressing his fingers into his temples. "Yeah, well, I doubt Sirius is up for that right now." Lily frowned and poked at his side playfully. "Not Sirius, you dimwit, me. I'm right here. Hit me."

He tilted his head to the side questioningly for a second before bursting out laughing. "You mean with you? About Quidditch? You want me to brainstorm with you about Quidditch moves?"

Lily found herself pouting – she put it down to her lack of sleep – and she scooted closer to him, taking the mug from him to steal a sip of his coffee. "Well, maybe with a little more input on your part, but yeah. I can listen at least."

James frowned slightly before a small smile smoothed over his face and he poked her back. "What about your sleep, Red?"

Lily smacked his arm lightly in response to the nickname, before smiling herself. "I'm sure it can wait a couple of hours."

When James only hummed she nudged one of his parchments towards him then sunk back down on the couch, pulling her sweater sleeves over her hands to keep them warm as she settled in for a long Quidditch rant, delivered by the captain himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? I'd love to hear your opinion, and constructive criticism is always welcome, so please leave a review! Even short ones are great.
> 
> Next up, we get a little peek into James' head! I have almost finished the next chapter, so stay tuned :)
> 
> Also (shameless self-promoting here) follow me on tumblr, inasiriusrelationsip, for updates and thoughts and stuff.


	4. Options and Outcomes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picks up from the last chapter, but we get a little glimpse into James' head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this one is a little shorter than the last one, but fear not! I am already halfway through the next chapter (I am really determined to keep a regular updating rhythm, so… only 12 days, yay).  
> I’d like to once again thank my beta, sweetly-secret on fanfiction, for looking this over for me.  
> Enjoy!

By the time James had moved on to his problems with the beaters, now that Sirius and Pierce were apparently not in good terms, Lily was fast asleep against his shoulder. Which really shouldn’t have made his brain short circuit so fast.

They were almost _friends_ now. They ate lunch together in the same group, they worked as a team to get their head duties done, they’d been freaking living together for a whole month and his private parts hadn’t even been threatened for Merlin’s sake! (James didn’t count the moment they’d first gotten into the dorm, when the words “If you get anywhere near my room, Potter” were pronounced, accompanied by a pointed swish of Lily’s wand at his lower half menacingly. He firmly believed the redhead had simply meant she’d throw a good old Tarantallegra at him and watch him dance himself exhausted – it was believable that she was pointing it at his legs, right? Totally believable. No matter what Padfoot said.)

The point was they were very well on their way to becoming actual friends, and he wasn’t going to blow it all up by having her wake up to him smelling her hair like a bloody maniac.

(It still smelled of cinnamon; it had since their 5th year at least – he’d never gotten close enough to tell before that.)

Okay, so he was a bit of a creep when it came to Lily Evans. But he was getting better! Which was why he needed to play his cards right with this. Luckily enough, overanalyzing situations happened to be one of his hobbies; you know, when he wasn’t ignoring all rational thought and acting on impulse alone, which was something Lily didn’t seem to appreciate very much – hence his effort to retreat further and further into the first state of mind. James sat pondering what to do, absent mindedly petting Lily’s hair softly as he made a mental checklist of his options.

Option A: He could leave her on the couch… but she’d doubtless wake up sore and uncomfortable – he’d appear inconsiderate. Option B: He could stay and be her pillow… pretend he’d fallen asleep too… something inside his chest purred at the thought, but then his brain shut it down quickly as well: they’d both be sore the next day, which would be terrible for quidditch, and knowing Lily she could think he’d just taken his chance to do merlin knew what while she was asleep. And sleep deprivation made people go all kinds of crazy.

As if reading his mind, Lily snuggled further into him, dropping her face to the crook of his neck and nuzzling him slightly. James exhaled slowly as he fought to keep himself from moving – merlin, why did god have to test him like this? Well… god might have no reason to, but... James frowned and looked down at the red head, but she was still clearly very asleep; apparently, god was just a bastard.

He could carry her to her room… except he didn’t know the password; well, he did, it was sesame. He’d overheard it, by accident actually – not that he wouldn’t have tried to figure it out, sooner or later – when he was sneaking off under the cloak last week; what it meant, however, he had no clue – he’d asked Marlene but she had offered no further insight either. But Lily did not know he did, and he didn’t want to give up his knowledge, or, yet again, seem creepy. Which also applied to option D, which was taking her to his room – he quickly shut down the image of Lily Evans sprawled across his sheets before he got so sidetracked he would have another problem to deal with.

Finally, he settled on waking her up. Politely. Gently. But not flirty; definitely not. No matter how peacefully beautiful she looked right then, leaning against him, appearing as comfortable as if she’d been doing so for years. James cleared his throat; she didn’t move.

Well, _shit_.

Sighing, James leaned away from her, using his hands to cushion her head as he slowly got up from the couch, easing Lily down on it until she was completely horizontal. She complained with a soft groan when he left, and James grit his teeth. _Get a grip, Potter, for fuck’s sake._

He pushed her shoulder softly, in what he hoped would be interpreted as a friendly manner. Unfortunately for his intentions of remaining friendly, the redhead decided it would be nice to just _stretch out_ _like a fucking cat_ right there and then, yawning what vaguely sounded like a version of his name.

Forcefully looking away from where her skirt was riding up her thighs and ignoring the reactions that sound had caused, James cursed under his breath. He wondered if there was some sort of reverse Felix Felicis potion that Padfoot or Wormtail might’ve dosed his juice with at breakfast that morning.

Eventually, Lily turned on her back and rubbed at her eyes sleepily. James quickly sat down on one of the armchairs, picking up a book from the coffee table and opening it on a random page, smiling hesitantly over it.

The redhead frowned slightly. “James?”

The boy in question chuckled and lowered the book onto his lap. “You fell asleep, Evans.”

Lily sat down and immediately tilted her head in confusion. “But I thought… why are you reading my potions book?”

James blinked once before looking down to see that he was, indeed, holding the book she had been reading when he’d first come in the room. “Right. I was studying a bit.”

She frowned again. “But… that’s my masters manual… not the textbook.”

James mentally cursed again; sleepy Lily was even pushier than her regular awake self. Keeping his smile in place, he replied airily. “Oh, well, I was curious. I still haven’t decided what I want to do, so I was studying… possibilities.” He mentally congratulated his overworked brain for the quick thinking before fearing she would think he was being rude and adding. “I’m sorry, I should’ve asked for permission. But I didn’t think you would mind.”

“I don’t.” She yawned and got up, taking the book from him gently. “But you shouldn’t do potions. We both know you’re a genius in transfiguration, and Alice says you’re quite handy with arithmancy too.”

James felt his eyes widen. Was Lily Evans actually paying him a compliment? Maybe he _had_ fallen asleep on the couch with her and this was all just a dream. That theory became a lot more likely when she placed her hand on his shoulder, running it lightly down his arm as she whispered absent mindedly. “And of course, quidditch. You’re probably the best player in the school.”

By this point, James was sure he looked ridiculously like a deer caught in the headlights (he mentally high fived himself on the pun), his lips parted as he stared at the beautiful redhead in front of him. Unfortunately, she seemed to think that was enough for the night, stifling another yawn with her hand then waving at him over her shoulder as she turned to climb up the stairs to her dorm. “Night, James.”

The Head Boy stayed in that position for what felt like ages, before deciding that sleep deprivation made people very crazy indeed and climbing up to his room as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. – A little James’ POV here! What did you think? I’m just trying to establish that both of our lovely main characters are more than a little confused this early on, and I will try to navigate through all of these conflicting feelings and situations into (hopefully) a good story.  
> If you are enjoying this story, then please leave a comment. If you are hating it, then by all means, leave a comment as well explaining what you don’t like. Any and all constructive feedback is welcome. Honestly, one word is totally valid if you have no time for more.  
> And of course a little loving (read: kudos) will only make me write faster hehehe… anyway, hope you enjoyed this, and stick around, the real fun will begin soon :P


	5. Mornings with You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Bringing you this fifth chapter, I just have to say I am so proud of myself for being so steady with these updates, I swear. Hmm. A little self-absorbed there… I’ll work on that.  
> Anyways, the chapter isn’t the only thing I’m bringing, for I am happy to introduce you to my very own OC for this story (besides Riley, from Ravenclaw, which we saw in chapter 3): Hunter Rudkin.  
> His character will be very important, specifically to one of our dearest marauders; go ahead and read to find out which one, then get back to me and my ramblings by the end of the chapter!  
> This chapter is once again betaed (is that a verb? Let’s go with yes) by sweetly-secret on fanfiction, who is awesome and also put up with all my ramblings.  
> Enjoy!  
> P.S. – And, of course, Lily’s cat! Whoever gets the reference in his name gets a virtual cookie ;)

When Lily first opened her eyes, she was feeling rather content. Now that she had her own room and her bathroom companions had gone from 4 teenage girls to one guy, she could afford getting up a little later, since she also didn’t have to walk all the way from Gryffindor Tower, which meant she had a much-appreciated little bit of extra time every morning.

She felt rested; she couldn’t quite remember when she’d fallen asleep, but she assumed it had been early.

Getting up and out of bed, she stretched her arms over her head and swept her eyes over the room, then frowned. “Ber.” She called out softly, but she got no answer. Grabbing her robe, she padded out of her bedroom and down the stairs.

She immediately made a detour for the coffee pot; getting James to try it had been a little challenging, but she knew it’d be worth it. Unlike her, James Potter was, surprisingly, a morning person. He usually came down a good half hour earlier than Lily did, and he always made coffee now, so she always had a hot cup waiting for her.

Pouring herself one right then, she walked back into the common room, calling out for Berlioz once more; she had no better luck than the first time. Shrugging to herself, Lily sat down on one of the armchairs, sipping the rich brown liquid carefully to avoid burning her tongue.

Hearing steps come down the stairs, she turned around to watch James descend the steps, Berlioz perched on his shoulder in a very nonchalant manner. He wouldn’t even let Lily carry him up the stairs (he was a very proud cat, despite his size – and he was also scared of heights, despite… well, being a cat), but apparently, Potter’s shoulder seemed to have some sort of quality her arms were missing, because the cat was completely at ease.

“Traitor.” She whisper-yelled at the tiny grey cat, who just purred softly as James picked it up, setting him on Lily’s lap and taking advantage of the distraction to steal a sip of her coffee, even though he’d probably had his own already. The redhead glared at both of them – neither seemed fazed by it. The Head Boy even had the nerve to throw her a wink.

“Yeah, the little one crawled into my bed last night. Maybe it’s time to start thinking of investing in some new nightgowns, Evans. Might help keep his interest.”

She scoffed. “Shut it, Potter.”

He smiled, a flash of bright white teeth as he passed her, grabbing his tie from the back of the couch and fixing it on as he walked backwards towards the end of the stairs where his bag was.

“Ah, now don’t be mean, Lily Flower.” Lily fumed at the nickname, but James carried on. Your cat just wanted to spend the night with Hogwarts’ best quidditch player. It’s understandable.”

Her face was already setting on a glare before she reconsidered, instead raising a brow and smirking over at him. “Well, I wouldn’t mind that either.”

James visibly froze, the hand that was reaching out towards his school bag stopping in its course as he turned back to face her. “You… you wouldn’t?”

The Head Girl was momentarily fazed by the way he licked his lips, but shook her head and brought a dreamy smile onto her face quickly enough as she delivered her comeback. “Of course not. I mean, have you _seen_ Hunter? Who the hell could pass that up?”

The dark-haired boy was stood still and quiet for a few seconds, before his brain finally caught up and his features contracted into a severely outraged look and he started spluttering. “Rudkin? What the… no! _No_ , I… I meant me, obviously! Not that… that…” He waved his hand helplessly, trying to find a word bad enough to describe what he meant, before he settled on the simplest one. “…that Slytherin.”

“Awwww, has someone been telling little Jamie he was the best?” Lily cooed teasingly. “Your ego doesn’t need any more inflating, Potter, so you better tell them to lay off a bit.”

James just stared at her from where he was still standing near his bag, before throwing it over his shoulder and muttering what sounded a lot like “I’ll never understand witches” and climbing out of the portrait hole, slamming it shut with a lot more force than needed.

Lily frowned slightly and petted Ber’s ears softly as she whispered: “Gee, he’s touchy today. I was only kidding. “The cat, unsurprisingly, didn’t respond, but she carried on nonetheless. “Besides, he started it. He knows I hate his nicknames.” Still nothing, expect a tiny feeling of ridicule towards herself.

Sighing, the Head Girl climbed back up the stairs to her room, getting herself ready for the day and trying not to think about how her good mood had deflated considerably.

\---------------------------------------------------------LNWAFM--------------------------------------------------------

Remus sighed as he leaned against the cold stone wall for support – that was a big mistake. Best to just keep up the stairs then. Yesterday’s potion had already worn off a bit – but he doesn’t actually _need_ them; he can do this.

He’d always been a rather chilly person, so he had no idea why the hell he’d agreed to come up to the Astronomy Tower, also known as _the freaking coldest place in the entire freaking castle_ , more than an hour before he even had to be up.

Well, he did know exactly why, if he was entirely honest.

The potion. Of course, just for the potion. Which he didn’t even need in the first place – sure, he’d felt better yesterday, the day after the full moon, that he’d ever felt on regular days, but that was… coincidental. The potion was just like… a placebo. Yes. A placebo. He would indulge his brain, then. He’d come up here for his placebo potion and nothing more.

And so he wasn’t at all disappointed when he opened the door and found nothing but a small vial filled with a pleasant looking, almost bronze colored liquid – and no bronze eyes to hand it to him.

Begrudgingly admitting how bad a liar he was – if he didn’t believe himself, how could anyone else be fooled? – Remus popped open the flask and downed it in one go, feeling better almost immediately.

“Damn you, Rudkin.” He muttered, before turning back down the way he’d come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well? What did you think of Hunter (the little bit you got of him)? I have big plans for this boy, who is, as you will later have a chance to verify, our Slytherin Quidditch Team Captain – the sport is supposed to have a lot of influence in this story, and I am slowly trying to ease myself into writing a game (the struggle is real).  
> Now, in my head, I have actors and actresses that reflect this characters and the way I see them in this fic. Hunter’s is the one, the only, the cutest-thing-ever – also known as Matthew Daddario (shout out to tmi fandom!). Head out to my profile to check out the rest of the “cast”, because I will be posting a list of the main characters soon and add more as they come up.  
> And yes, in case you were all wondering, Remus will be bi in this fic – no wolfstar though! Sorry wolfstar shippers – I might throw in a little earlier unrequited crush (???maybe??), so leave your thoughts on that, my OC and bi Remus, as well as the overall chapter, in a review please! And of course, those of you who know Berlioz ;)  
> And as always, don’t forget to follow/favorite :)  
> Love y’all


	6. Mornings alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little peek into Sirius' pov

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I, uh… I’ve had some difficulties this past week. I just ended a long time relationship and I’m not doing so well tbh. I don’t know how this will affect my writing; the next chapter is done, but I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep up with the rhythm I’ve been holding. I will do my best though. Moving on.  
> I was a little disappointed with the reaction (or lack thereof) to the last chapter. It’s one of my favorites actually. Hopefully you will like this one better. Enjoy.

Sirius was sure there must’ve been some sort of ancient, dark, evil curse his mother had once tried to perform and that was only getting to him now.

He’d hoped it had all been a dream; a fantasy his brain had conjured up in his sleep that had decided to follow him into reality and taunt him when he opened his eyes that morning. However, his fantasies with Marlene usually involved a lot more snogging and a lot less clothing – he thanked the gods he didn’t talk in his sleep like Wormtail did, otherwise he would’ve been long dead by now, after sharing his dorm with James for six years (and yes, maybe he’d wind up in Prongs’ room more nights than in his own back at Potter manor, but who gave a crap).

So… he had actually punched Pierce. After years and years of keepings his… his _thing_ for Marlene a secret, he’d outed himself in such a ridiculous way. “Stupid,” sneered the voice in his head that sounded a lot like his father, and he flinched slightly in his cocoon of blankets.

He hadn’t been able to help himself though. He just… couldn’t sit there and watch something like that play out in front of him. He had been physically unable to do so.

Sirius had never considered James’ close relationship with Marlene and his over protectiveness of the girl as something that would benefit him in any way, on the contrary, he’d bloody cursed it more than once, but he now acknowledged how it had always sheltered him from witnessing anything… anything that involved Marlene and other blokes, really.

This would explain why he was so unprepared, and why he had reacted so… badly. And spontaneously. He hadn’t even realised what he was doing until he was pulling Pierce by the collar of his shirt, prying him away from Marlene and punching him square in the face.

It had been completely irrational. His feelings for Marlene weren’t even that strong to begin with – over the years, he’d brought it down to the appeal of the forbidden fruit. She was probably the only witch his morals wouldn’t let him screw and ditch, which was admittedly his usual behaviour when it came to women.

Sure, he would never go after Evans either, but she and James were practically married already (or well on their way to that stage), and he’d never felt any sort of sexual attraction for the girl. Sure, she was a fit bird, but she had an actual brain inside that head of fire coloured hair, and was extremely fun to tease and banter with.  No, he was perfectly content with remaining Lily Evans’ not-really-a-friend-but-not-so-much-a-foe-either. That would technically also constitute enough reason not to go after Marlene – he was sure Lily would leave him in a similar (if not worse) state than James would. Sirius shuddered at the thought.

Bottom line was, it had been purely animalistic to react that way; he’d been sniffing at her tail, another dog came around, and he’d protected his territory. That was all. (He couldn’t help the small laugh that came out of his mouth as he pictured the black dog he turned into every month peeing all over Marlene.)

Luckily, James seemed to think he had acted as an extension of his almost brother, displaying platonic brother-y over protectiveness. _As if_.

And Marlene… Marlene had been so angry at him. God, she was a spitfire. After screaming his ears off for a full minute (during which she somehow found a way to remain incredibly hot), she’d run off to rush Pierce into the infirmary (which really had been unnecessary – he doubted he’d even broke the kid’s nose, there was really no need for that ridiculous reaction).

Sirius replayed her words in his head, considering them fully for the first time – he’d spent the better part of the previous afternoon in his animagus form, chasing Mrs. Norris around and pretending nothing had happened at all.

Yeah, alright, so maybe he _had_ been a little out of line. Ah, yes, he _didn’t_ have a claim over Marlene, and had no authority whatsoever regarding who she decided to date (James had strongly opposed to that one), much less kiss. Pierce was a nice bloke… he _supposed so_ , if this particular situation was ignored. Muggle violence was despicable… now, he wouldn’t use _that particular word_ , and _it did_ come in handy every once in a while. He was an embarrassment to Hogwarts and to the Wizarding Community as a whole… yeah, Sirius had that one ingrained in his brain by now. What else, what else…?

Oh, yeah. _I bloody hate you, Black_.

Well. He wasn’t quite prepared for that one. He guessed his brain hadn’t processed the words yet, allowing him to remain blissfully unware of just how much he’d truly fucked up.

Sirius lied there for a couple of minutes in silence, before shaking his head quickly. So what if Marlene hated him; it’s not like he was going to be able to _do anything_ , or have her feel any other way towards him. He wouldn’t be allowed to _try_. Not that he even wanted to; Sirius Black didn’t _do_ running after girls – girls ran after him, and he took his pick whenever he felt like it. He was Hogwarts’ player. He was a legend! He couldn’t be tied down.

Yeah. Yeah, that was it. It wasn’t just that he couldn’t; he didn’t want to – he wouldn’t. He’d take Marlene’s hate. He didn’t give a crap about-

“Pads? You coming?” He heard Peter’s voice as if from very far away, but he looked towards the door nonetheless, where he and Frank – the fifth man, as the Marauders called him – were holding it open, a questioning look on their faces. Sirius racked his brain for what kind of answer they could possibly want.

Oh, right. Breakfast. He forced himself to nod and get up, emptying his thoughts of unattainable brunettes. “Yeah. Yeah, give me a minute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d never done Sirius’ POV before… let me know how I did?


	7. Great Hall Shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I’m sorry I took a little longer with this chapter, I’ve had a lot on my plate lately… fortunately, Christmas break is finally here, so I should be able to write more (yay!).  
> Anyways, this chapter has more of a group-y feeling; I hope you enjoy it :)

“So, let me get this straight: Lily told you that you were a genius, and the best player in the school, all before you went to bed last night… but this morning she didn’t remember any of it?”

“Yes.” Came the immediate reply, accompanied by a vehement nod. Remus raised a brow at him pointedly, stopping his fork on its way to the boy’s mouth. James narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Don’t say it. Don’t, Moony-”

“Are you sure you didn’t just dream the whole thing? I mean- _oi_ , Prongs, what the…” Remus rubbed at this arm, glaring at the dark-haired boy sitting next to him. James glared right back. “I warned you.”

The werewolf huffed as he picked up his glass of pumpkin juice. James went on with his rambling. “She said Rudkin, that bloody _Slytherin_ , was better than me. As if.”

Remus’ eyes widened almost comically and he spit out the tiny sip he’d taken, spluttering loudly “ _what_?”

James nodded enthusiastically, patting his back. “I know, I know. Totally ridiculous. We don’t even play the same position, and we all know Lily doesn’t pay attention to Quidditch at all, so I don’t know who she’s trying to fool.” His features twisted into a nasty frown. “She even had the nerve to imply he was hotter than me.” Remus let out another choking sound, and James grinned, taking it as outrage on his behalf, and as encouragement to carry on. “Right? I mean sure, he’s not a troll or anything, but have you seen the bloke? He’s got nothing on this.” He gestured pointedly towards himself, and Remus coughed and ducked his head to hide his blush.

Luckily, the two remaining marauders chose that very moment to arrive at the Gryffindor table, and James immediately turned to them.

“Pads! Who’s hotter? Me or Rudkin?”

Sirius tilted his head in consideration as Peter sat down in front of Remus, frowning confusedly. He pursed his lips slightly and tapped at his chin faux-thoughtfully before stating. “Rudkin. Sorry, mate.”

James spluttered slightly before glaring at his best mate. “Traitor.”

The other boy laughed then shrugged noncommittally. “Hey, you asked, Prongs.” He sat down next to Peter, patting his shoulder and grinning. “Take Wormtail up on it next time – he’ll fall over trying to assure you of your superior hotness.”

Peter scoffed. “I don’t know what you think you’re implying, but whatever. Even I’ve heard enough girls fawn over Hunter and his beautiful, _dreamy_ eyes to know he is one upping you.” He poured himself a glass of orange juice, nodding towards Sirius. “He might even surpass you, Padfoot.”

The boy gasped dramatically and held a hand to his chest. “Blasphemy!” It was James’ turn to laugh at his best friend, who looked outraged by the statement.

Peter chuckled before shrugging his shoulders casually. “I don’t know, mate. Birds really dig the whole dark, mysterious and unapproachable thing. I don’t think he’s ever dated anyone – not openly anyway.”

Remus took his Transfiguration book out of his bag, opening it and asking loudly “Did anyone read the pages Minnie asked us to?”

Sirius shushed him with his hand. “Hold on now, Moony, I have to settle this here. I hold the absolute record of most witches shagged over my years here. I am the official Hogwarts heartthrob. I don’t care how hot Hunter thinks he is, but he clearly does not know how to use it like I do. Case closed.” James cleared his throat pointedly, and he added. “Or Prongs. In his own ‘I’ve been madly in love with Lily Evans since fourth year and can’t be fooling around so much anymore’ way.”

James pouted slightly as Peter laughed, before turning to the boy sitting next to him and swinging an arm over his shoulders, stating proudly “Well, at least Remus is a good friend. You think I’m hotter, right Moony?”

“Not answering that.” Was the werewolf’s quick reply, as he hid his face behind his book. James threw his arms up in the air in a dramatic fashion. “I have no friends!”

Frank Longbottom paused behind James, raising a brow pointedly at the other boys over his head. “Is it safe to sit?”

Peter nodded amusedly. “James is just having a fit because Lily thinks Hunter Rudkin is hotter than him.”

James growled slightly and Frank laughed, sitting down beside him and patting his shoulder sympathetically. “Sorry about that, mate. If it helps you feel any better, our first game is with them, and you can score a bunch of goals in his hoops.”

James tilted his head, his Quidditch obsession immediately making him perk up. “The game calendar is up?”

Frank nodded as he reached for the platter of sausages in front of him. “Yeah, just heard it from Alice. It’s by the hourglasses.”

Sirius smirked at him over the table, raising a brow. “Was that before or after your morning snog over at the Ravenclaw table, Frankie boy?” The other boy flushed slightly but held his ground, shrugging good naturedly at the teasing. “During.”

James smiled and punched his shoulder slightly. “Well you better not let your girlfriend score any points on your watch, Longbottom, or I will be sorely disappointed.”

Frank rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Please, don’t even start with the threats. I am much more scared of her than I am of you, Potter. If she thinks I’m going easy on her she’ll castrate me.” He grinned secretively and wiggled his eyebrows. “Besides, we have a little bet going on, and I do not intend to lose.”

Sirius, who would’ve pounced at the chance to make an even remotely sexual funny remark, only nodded slightly as he watched Lily and Marlene approach their table. “Ay, mate. Witches are scary as hell.”

All five boys turned their heads to watch them, but the pair chose to seat farther down the table, joining Mary McDonald with matching smiles. The redhead called out a good morning, making a point of mentioning only Remus, Frank and Peter; Marlene ignored them altogether.

Frank chuckled and patted James’ head playfully. “And you boys don’t seem to be in good terms with the lot of them, so good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, what did you think? Please leave your opinion of this chapter in a comment, and subscribe and/or leave some kudos on this story if you liked it please :)


	8. It's Quidditch Time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! I’m sorry this took so long, but after a hard couple of months I am mostly back on track now. I’d had this written on paper for a while, but I kept procrastinating and only got around to type it down and send it to my amazing beta, sweetly secret on fanfiction, in order for her to work her magic, this week, so :/ I’m sorry. I have the next couple of chapters written though, and one of them already in word format only in need for some tiny adjustments, so I don’t think the next update will take too long :)  
> Anyways, this is kind of a filler chapter, but I really like it tbh, because we actually get to see and hear Hunter for the first time! Not just hear of him. Which is, you know, nice. Because, as Lily informed us in not so many words, Hunter is bae.   
> Alright, read on :)

“You can’t still be mad.”

Marlene scoffed. “Watch me.”

James frowned, gaze landing on his best friend, marching ahead with Frank, brooms on their shoulders. The team was headed for practice; well, the team, plus Remus, Peter, and Lily, walking ahead of the group, and minus Pierce, who’d told him he still wasn’t feeling up for it (James had diagnosed him with a case of wounded pride, but had made no further comment as he stonily took the younger boy’s excuse). Moony and Wormtail watched almost every practice, and Lily had come for moral support, apparently – “Because I’m still fighting the urge to rip Black’s fucking head off by his beloved hair!”; James had posed no arguments there either, even though his fellow Head Student still wasn’t talking to him. Or was it him who wasn’t talking to her? – …either way, they hadn’t talked since that morning.

Sighing, he shook his head to redirect his focus at the conversation once more. “Marls, he was just…”

“Being an idiotic prick? An insufferable bastard? A-” James covered her mouth with his hand when she started getting loud enough that he could see Sirius’ shoulders hunch slightly, his back muscles visibly tightening.

The bespectacled boy didn’t really know what to make of his best friend’s actions. There had never really been much interaction between Sirius and Marlene. Well, sure, they were on the same quidditch team together, but the truth was that Marlene, as a seeker, didn’t really have to communicate with the beaters all that much, unless she had to ask them to swing a bludger out of her way. And screaming at him from halfway across the field in the middle of a practice or a game wasn’t exactly what James would describe as spending quality time together – a little voice in his head that pointed out how that hadn’t constituted a barrier between her and _Pierce_ , but James chose to ignore it).

Of course, there were also the visits to the Potter home when they were both present, which had become more recurrent with Sirius moving in, he supposed. Suddenly, a memory of last New Year’s Party flashed to the front of his mind: Sirius dancing with Marlene, twirling her around, her laughter echoing across Potter manor’s ballroom while his date, a blond Hufflepuff the year above them, pouted in the corner.  Huh.

James supposed it wasn’t that difficult that he’d passed on some of his protectiveness over Marlene onto his best mates; the voice in his head argued that nor Remus nor Peter had displayed any will to punch Pierce, but he quickly shut it down once again – Sirius had simply been closer. _Yeah_ , he reinforced to his stubborn brain , as he recalled the surprised look on his best friend’s face – he’d reacted based on what he was used to seeing James do. That was all.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as soon as they got close enough to see the field, with Padfoot’s “Oh, hell no”. Looking up, James realised what the dark haired boy was upset about, and felt his own mood dampen even more – the field was already occupied.

And the figures up on the air were wearing green robes. _Shit._

Their little group had come to a halt, and everyone – including a certain redhead, James realised with a start – was looking up at him to fix the problem. While he _was_ the officially established captain, it still felt good to be acknowledged as being the authority figure (especially by Lily Evans, since that _really_ didn’t happen very often). Walking to the front of the group, he paused slightly, trying to remember whether or not he’d actually booked the pitch; Hunter, the Slytherin captain, was usually very organised – annoyingly so (not particularly, but he was still pissed from this morning) –, so what if he had confused the days? He’d had so much on his mind lately… but then again, he distinctively remembered doing it just last week and-

Luckily, Frank stepped up and stopped him before his mind rant got any further. “What the… I saw you book the pitch for us today like two weeks ago.” James nodded, feeling reassured, and shrugged in response then made to keep walking, but to his surprise Remus put an arm out to stop him.

“Moony?” The werewolf swallowed slightly, almost imperceptibly so, and James frowned. “Maybe we could just… wait.”

His sentence was met with a couple of silence filled seconds before Sirius let out a scoff. “Screw that, I am _not_ gonna wait around for some intruding snakes.” With that, James clapped Remus on the shoulder and they marched forward with him at the head of the group, the grip on his broom tightening as they reached the edge of the pitch.

To his surprise, one of the green figures immediately sped towards them, and the animagus found himself staring into the eyes Peter had told them earlier to be described as _dreamy_ (James didn’t see it), which in turn were roaming over his little gathering; in fact, he only looked at James directly when he cleared his throat. “Potter.”

“Rudkin.” He replied, raising a brow. The Slytherin took a slight step back, and his eyes once again wandered off; James was getting annoyed, and about to make so known, before the other boy started talking again. “Our practice ran a little late,” He drawled. “Terribly sorry.” He still wasn’t looking at him, turning around to let out a sort of whistle; the sound was clear, loud and sharp, and all of the Slytherins came down obediently. The smallest figure, James realised with a start, came down by the furthest edge of the field, apparently choosing to walk a longer way to keep his distance as big as possible. The Head Boy didn’t look back at his best friend, even though he could almost feel him tense even further as he no doubt spotted his little brother even faster than he had. He heard Remus mumble something to the dog animagus, no doubt some of the words of comfort he was so good with, and relaxed some, but was still more eager to get Sirius up and flying now that he knew he could use the distraction even further.

Hunter turned back to them, and James was actually a little relieved when he looked him in the eye for the first time, except for the words that came out of his mouth right after he did. “You brought an audience. Boosting up your ego, are we?”

Sirius scoffed, and Hunter’s feeble attention was once again stolen away. While the first comment had been almost off-handily playful, James could’ve sworn he saw the other captain’s eyes harden as he spoke next. “Or is it you that needed it Black? Did you need to beg your friend to come and cheer for you? Your regular fangirls were too busy to give you attention this week, huh?”

James did look back then, but Remus already had an arm out in front of Sirius to keep him from retaliating (at least physically – if looks could kill, James wouldn’t bet on Hunter’s odds of survival), and pulled him back, whispering something unintelligible in his ear that seemed to placate him some. Remus’ own expression was not, as James had been expecting and constituted the usual for this type of situations, one of exasperation at how easily their dark-haired friend could be goaded by a Slytherin who felt like it. In fact, he couldn’t actually decipher what the werewolf was feeling, and it made him frown – Remus was such an honest person he became particularly easy to read if you knew him well enough, something the rest of the marauders gave him shit for all the time. Recalling his initial request to just wait it out, James wondered if his friend was still reeling from the effects of his last transformation. Sure, he’d been doing exceptionally well this year, but it had still only been two days. With that, he turned back to the other captain, swallowing down his own urge to shut Rudkin up and carrying on like the last couple of remarks had not transpired.

“It’s fine, Hunter. But I did book the camp and _I do_ wanna train, so we’re gonna get to that, alright mate?” With that, he walked past the Slytherin boy, who merely shook his head and headed up to the castle, broom up on his shoulder and his other fist clenched tightly at his side.

As he got the balls the other team had just put away, telling the team to start up with some practice laps around the field, James frowned slightly. Despite his little outburst that morning, he knew Hunter to be reasonable. In fact, he was probably the only Slytherin in their year he didn’t have a personal beef with. Hell, he’d been happy when he found out he’d been made captain, two years prior. As he freed the bludgers and the snitch, he yelled at everyone to come closer; he held Marlene back as he told the others to train bludger dodging – which was considerably harder with only one beater, but he trusted Sirius’ current mood would make him vicious enough with his bat that it really wouldn’t matter anyway.

He let Marlene go after a couple of minutes of allowing the snitch to fly around freely, and was about to kick off himself, quaffle in hand, when he noticed that Lily was walking up to him. He fought down the urge to run a hand through his hair, his go-to habit to manage nerves, reminding himself that the redhead found it irritating and self-absorbed. And so he merely placed the ball under his arm, smiling hesitantly as she approached him and stopped, hands in the pockets of her muggle trench coat. She was wearing her hair down, just the way he liked it, and he got distracted with the way her soft curls tumbled over her shoulders for a moment before he managed to focus back on her face. The muggleborn wasn’t looking at him either, and James briefly wondered if his eyes were shooting fire today (not that it was probable – or even possible –, but it _would_ be pretty awesome.

“Remus has gone up to the castle. Said he was tired, and that it was too cold to be out.” She smiled slightly at that, and so did James – it was such a _Remus thing_ to say. He nodded, his previous suspicions confirmed, and hoped his friend would go up to the Gryffindor common room, where he had a warm fireplace and friendly faces. “Thanks for letting me know.” He smiled warmly down at her, and was expecting her to leave as soon as that, but Lily was still there, and she was finally looking him in the eye – which he _supposed_ ruled out his previous theory, but he couldn’t really say he minded that (much) at the moment. And then the girl had the nerve to bite her lip, and every thought running through his mind melted away, completely gone, replaced by the direct order he had to give himself: _for fuck’s sake, Potter, don’t stare. Pull yourself together, man._

“I was… surprised, you, uh…” Lily cleared her throat. “It was very mature. Your reaction.”

Alright, now _that_ had just gotten considerably harder. He forced himself to pick his brain enough to form a semi-coherent response. “My reaction?” Lily blinked before nodding slowly, and James wondered if he had succeeded at all. “To Hunter’s teasing.”

“Oh. Well.” He rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably as he searched for words. “It wasn’t really… thanks. But it wasn’t even that much of a jab, really.” He broke out in a grin and flicked her shoulder playfully before he could second guess himself. “Guess your pretty boy isn’t that good at verbal sparring.”

Lily snorted in what James decided to take as an amused manner. “Whatever. Try not to exhaust them all, Potter. It’s mani-pedi night, and Marls makes the best French tips.” With that she turned around and pranced off towards the bleachers, where Peter was sitting, and James shook his head before shooting off towards his team mates, briefly (and only slightly bitterly) wondering if the redhead would forget this conversation also.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? I would really love it if you took the time to leave a comment with your opinion on it, they mean a lot to me. Of course kudos and subscriptions are also very nice, but I'd really like some feedback, guys. Pleeeease?  
> Next chapter, we find out just where Remus ran off to... and it's not exactly what James had in mind, so stick around ;)


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